WOODEN SLEEPERS

When I was a kid growing up on the North Fork of Long Island, I loved going to my local Army-Navy store. It was dark, a little stinky, and manned by a salty old timer whose idea of customer service was smoking a Marlboro Red, grunting intermittently, and sharpening a trench knife. The racks were crowded with old flight jackets, leather boots, graphic t-shirts with outlandish (and often wildly offensive) slogans like, Kill ‘em all, let God sort ‘em out! and just about everyt...hing else you could imagine. There was something exciting about it - maybe even a little intimidating. I mean, to a kid in middle school, seeing knives and inactive grenades in a glass display case was pretty nuts! At the time, I didn’t know anything about vintage clothing, but I was drawn to it. My local mall was about an hour west and they certainly weren’t selling this kind of stuff at Pac Sun. Maybe it was all the G.I. Joe I consumed as a boy, shoutout Storm Shadow. Maybe it was the thrill of being someplace I was probably wasn’t supposed to be at that age. I was hooked. Sadly, the Army-Navy stores of my youth are either long shuttered or the authentic military surplus items have been replaced by cheap reproductions made offshore. The days of finding racks of real Vietnam era bombers, M-65 jackets, and baker’s pants are long gone, but don’t fret, I put together a collection of some of my favorite authentic vintage military surplus items and it’s going live today @ 5:00 PM EST via IG Stories. First come, first served. Tune in! #woodensleepers See more

Sometimes a product can transport you to another time and place. When I was a boy, growing up on the North Fork of Long Island, my favorite thing to do was swim in the Peconic Bay. The bay was my sanctuary. I spent countless hours there, floating aimlessness, collecting rocks, and being alone with my thoughts. Some years, I jumped in as early as Easter Sunday and would swim every possible day until October. I loved everything about it, except the jellyfish of course. Standing at the edge of the bay and taking a deep breath, you can taste a little of the salt mist. When I first came upon @northforkseasalt, I was instantly transported back to that time and place. I haven’t lived on the North Fork for many years, but tasting this salt brings me right back. #woodensleepers #northfork #nofo

Honored and completely heartbroken to be included in @nymag alongside 500 NYC businesses that closed in 2020 due to COVID-19. Read the full gut wrenching article via the link below. https://www.curbed.com//nyc-businesses-closed-2020-pandemi

Tartan, shetland, and oilcloth timeless for a reason. #woodensleepers #jpress #barbour

Talking American style with @runmbd for @esquire. Swipe right to read some excerpts. #woodensleepers #esquire

Our popular navy souvenir caps are back in stock. Brushed cotton twill, unstructured 6-panel crown, flat brim, adjustable cloth closure with brass slider. Features embroidered WS monogram on front and Wooden Sleepers on back. Made in USA. Link to shop below. https://wooden-sleepers.com//wooden-sleepers-monogram-dad-